Week Twelve.... Muddy

Up to my ears in Chocolate this weekend, with a dash or two of whiskey, to make a Mississippi Mud Cake.

Harriett turned 16 during the week and her present from me, a cake of her choice. She chose a three tiered mud cake!!!!! With her health in mind, I settled for a two tiered mud cake, filled with more chocolate icing. Have a feeling it was a tad dry but her text to me when she tasted it sounded positive and appreciative. So all is good.

We had our lovely friend Mandy over from oz for tea on Sunday so whipped up another apple cake, and tonight it is drinkies at Italian class so I threw together a Tirimisu.....always lovely made the day before to give the brandy time to infuse.

Holy week this week so next weeks cake will be an Easter cake. A bit of research necessary here I think.

Week Eleven....its off to Normandy

Well I thought that since Saturday was spent in Akaroa, our little taste of France, I would make a cake with French influence. My Legend of a husband roared through the Le Race in record time arriving in Akaroa just 2hrs 57minutes after leaving the Square. I was there to hug his sweaty exhausted and relieved self and then we lazed in the warmth watching and chatting with other like minded people, reliving every hill and corner and asking themselves why any normal person would pay huge amounts of money to put yourself through that pain. All worth it in the end as they can now eat Cake.

So Lovely friend Carole came around last week armed with flan trays and a beautiful French book with tart and cake recipes. I was reminded by daughter that tart is not a cake so I decided on the Normandy Apple Cake to be the cake for this week.

There was certainly nothing complicated in making it, so everything went very smoothly and it came out of the oven looking and smelling very delicious.

No one was keen to sample the said cake last night, so I had to indulge! Accompanied by a little dollop of whipped cream it is truely a very delicious cake.

Week Ten.....Gluten Free

The effort of last weeks Coffee Cloud Cake was all worth it. The family were the official tasters on Wednesday night but not before friend Trudy popped around on the day for a sneak taste. It was Gooood.

This weeks cake was made a day early as we had another family get together last night. Brother in laws lovely lady turned another year older during the week so we celebrated with a Gluten free mocha number. Very light and moist thanks to the sour cream in the cake. Odd ingredient that worked well.

I had a request from Hatty, my number one tasters daughter, for a couple of cakes for the cultural festival at Ray Blank Park this weekend. So nothing like leaving things to the last minute, I threw together two chocolate cakes last night about 9pm and am frantically icing them this morning, only to run out of icing sugar! So off to the super again as they get picked up at 11.

So I am all caked out this week.

I have about 8 days to find a recipe for week eleven. Le Race next weekend so may keep the French theme.

Week Nine Take Two

Coffee Cloud Cake.......This was a funny experience. The first time around the cake mixture was quite stiff, second time around the mixture was very soft and light and there was a tonne of it so of course it all poured over the top of the baking pans. I thought I was in for another disaster and was about to surrender my plan to make a cake a week, when all of a sudden the beeper on the oven went off and the cake was looking superb. Coffee icing on top smothered in walnuts and I cant wait to slice into it and have a taste. Pleasure is reserved for the extended family tomorrow night!

So this week, ten eggs later we have a cake.

Week Nine......A Flop!

Disaster struck the kitchen yesterday! Out of the oven came two frizbees. I never read the recipe properly so hence the disaster! Will try again later today so watch this space.

Aarrgghhh!!!!!

Week Eight - Caramel Mud Cake times two

This weeks cake was found on www.taste.co.nz. White chocolate melted with butter, brown sugar and water! The smell of caramel is awesome and filled our kitchen for hours. I made this
cake twice as the intention was to give a cake to my friend Julie, but the family didnt want to miss out either!


If you like caramel then you will enjoy every bit of this weeks cake. The kitchen was buzzing this afternoon. I was cake making, and also threw together a chicken lasagna for tomorrow nights dinner. Emma was busy making vegetable salad for Julie and a very special chicken dish for tonights dinner...really lovely. There were a couple of bacon and egg pies in the oven too.

So we were utilizing every available piece of bench space....a hive a industry.

It is very fulfilling making food for others to enjoy.

This cake is truly delicious!

Week Seven....Lemon and Yoghurt Cake

Hi there on week 7. Mum and Dad popped around last week armed with a heap of lemons from there large abundant lemon tree. This weeks recipe comes from 'The Best of Annabel Langbein....Great food for Busy lives', page 293, Lemon Yoghurt Cake.

Lemon juice and zest, eggs, sugar, oil, yoghurt, flour and a little something else, it was all thrown together and poured into a 26cm round cake tin (thanks for the lend Trud) and cooked for 1 1/2 hours. Looks devine, and should look a whole lot nicer with cream cheese icing.

This is a massive cake so the family will need a hand in polishing this off.

Hope to see you this week sometime!